Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/297221 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
SWP Comment No. 16/2024
Publisher: 
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), Berlin
Abstract: 
The debate in the European Union (EU) on the expansion of majority decision-making is entering a new round. Germany, in particular, is seeking to build a coalition in favour of more majority decisions in light of the, at times, difficult decision-making process concerning foreign and security policy, and the prospect of future EU enlargement. Too often, however, this debate is not taking into account how and with what results majority decisions are being used in other, sometimes equally contested policy areas. An analysis of the public votes since 2010 compiled in the SWP's new EU Council Monitor shows that EU member states generally strive for consensus, even in majority decisions. Larger groups of member states are almost never outvoted. Still, Hungary and Poland increasingly stand out as two states that are outvoted more often than others, albeit to a slightly lesser degree than the United Kingdom (UK) was before Brexit. One way out of the dilemma between strengthening the EU's ability to act and protecting vital national interests could be a well-balanced "sovereignty safety net".
Subjects: 
European Union (EU)
majority decision-making
qualified majority voting (QMV)
EU enlargement
public votes
"sovereignty safety net"
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Research Report

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